In retrospect, given the initial reaction to his casting, Charlie Hunnam’s decision to depart from the Fifty Shades of Grey movie probably shouldn’t come as a huge shock. He and the rest of the team said all the right things, pretended as though the criticism wasn’t getting to them, and tried to sell the public on supposed chemistry between him and Dakota Johnson.

However, they still heard the criticism. And whereas Johnson is something of an unknown and isn’t in a position to turn down high profile acting jobs, the same doesn’t apply to Hunnam.

The idea that, after six seasons, Hunnam suddenly realized how demanding his Sons of Anarchy filming schedule can be is nonsense. SOA has nothing to do with this decision. Hunnam simply decided that this gig wasn’t worth the headache – especially given the fact that fans would hold him personally responsible if the movie turned out to be a trainwreck.

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So here we are, back where we started.

Rumors are flying all over the place regarding who will replace Hunnam, and the powers that be who are putting Fifty Shades together are remaining quiet on who they are and aren’t considering.

If there is one thing we’ve learned over the past month it’s that the casting directors don’t care one iota who fans want to see. That being said, it’s hard not to view longtime fan favorites Matt Bomer and Ian Somerhalder as likely contenders. Similarly, it’s worth remembering that Robert Pattinson was mentioned as ‘first choice’ for the role during an E! News interview in September.

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Who will ultimately land this role? Time will tell. But here is something interesting to think about: Johnson’s casting was justified by the fact that she and Hunnam supposedly had tremendous chemistry. With him out, what exactly is the reason for keeping her around?